John Simpson

by Def Con One (lit)

  “Nurse, it’s just that I’ve asked him that question twice; once last night after he was shot, and moments ago before you came in. His response was the same to me as it was to you with a little extra thrown in.”

  “I see. Well, thank you for not letting loose with the blue language, Sergeant. Your coughing is a natural reaction after having anesthesia. It’s the lungs clearing themselves. It should cease in another hour or so. Other than that, are you… well, are you in pain?” she said catching herself.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

  “Well, I’ll be back with a shot that will take care of that.”

  With that the nurse left and I began to chuckle once more. “Coward. Why didn’t you say to her what you said to me?”

  “’Cause you’re not going to be sticking me with needles for the next few days, that’s why.”

  “Chicken. I was awful worried about you, Todd. All I could think about was you while I was with the major and the general this morning.”

  “You spoke with the general?”

  “Yeah. After giving me that order that wasn’t an order last night, I guess he felt he owed me an explanation. Ya know, they tried to shoot his ass last night too!”

  “Hold on. What order that wasn’t an order did he give you last night? Was he on scene?”

  “No. His suggestion was relayed to me via the pilot that we carry the bomb off site so it wouldn’t blow up the missile. Since I was the only guy not wounded or deaf, I was elected. The pilot damn sure wasn’t going to do it. Outside his pay grade….”

  “Did it go off?”

  “Oh hell yeah, it went off. Made the night into day it was so bright. But the missile was safe.”

  “You said they tried to shoot the old man?”

  “Yeah, two gunmen hit his house while we were handling the firefight. He shot and killed them both. Seems the general carries a forty-five around his house and was armed when they broke in. Shot and killed them both.”

  “Damn…. The Russians are really crazy. We could go to war over this. You know that, right?”

  “Yeah, I figured we might. But if we launch, it’s the end of the human race as we know it. There has to be a better way.”

  The nurse came back in with a needle in her hand. She moved the sheet aside, pulled Todd’s PJ bottoms down slightly and stuck it in. He winced in pain, but soon had a very peaceful look on his face as his eyes slowly closed.

  “He’ll be out for a while now, airman.”

  “What did you give him?”

  “Morphine.”

  I left with the nurse and called the desk for a ride. I didn’t need a shot to go to sleep. I was beat. I didn’t take a shower or anything; I just went directly to my room and climbed into bed. I slept for almost eight hours straight. I was awoken by banging on my door from other men in my unit telling me to get ready for work. I yelled back that I had the night off and received a great deal of verbal abuse for my good luck.

  I got up, showered, and climbed into a uniform even though I wasn’t on duty that night. I intended to hit the chow hall, eat, and then head over to the base hospital to visit Todd again. I still sensed an intense feeling of uneasiness from almost everyone I encountered. The entire base knew about both attacks the night before and on top of the full-out assault we had already fended off, people’s nerves were beginning to fray.

  The base theater was reopened with security troops posted on guard outside. The base commander wanted airmen to be able to relax and watch a movie but did not want a very inviting target to be accessible should more commandos breach base security.

  After eating what turned about to be a really fine meal, I once again headed to the hospital. Now that it was getting dark outside, I found myself looking over my shoulder for anyone suspicious. There was a television on in the chow hall and news of the two attacks was on the evening news. A similar attack had occurred at Minot Air Force Base without success. Two airmen had been killed in the attack, however. The president was addressing a joint session of Congress the day after tomorrow and speculation about what he would say was running rampant.

  This time I didn’t bother to check in with the nursing station, bypassing any potential trouble from another nurse trying to protect my guy from visitors. I found Todd wide awake and moaning a little bit from the pain. His tray of food sat uneaten on the table next to the bed.

  When he saw me walk into the room, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. He was very happy to see me and that made me feel better as well.

  “Hi, roomie. Good to see you again. I won’t ask you how you feel; I think we’ve covered that topic enough already,” I said with a smile.

  “Hey, guy. Good to see you. Were you here earlier today? I seem to recall a visit from you, but if you did come, I don’t remember a thing about it.”

  “Yes, I was here after doing an end run around Nurse Ratchet who didn’t want me bothering you. I dropped the general’s name with your doctor, and that got me in.”

  “Well, I’m glad you were persistent even though I don’t remember anything about the visit. Shouldn’t you be at work by now? You’re not armed, so I take it you’re not on duty?”

  “No, the general gave me the night off as a small reward for surviving the firefight. I’m back on duty tomorrow, though.”

  I glanced at the door and gave Todd a quick hit-and-run kiss. He smiled and said he wanted a lot more than that. “I thought you were getting better, and now I know it. You’re horny again! Always a good sign.”

  “You make me horny. I can’t help it. Why don’t you jump in bed here?”

  “Sure, that would be a great idea. Since ‘don’t ask, don’t screw’ hasn’t been repealed yet, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Coward.”

  “Not according to the general and major. In fact, I’m being put in for some medal, along with the rest of you guys who got wounded.”

  “Get out. Really?”

  “Yep. The bastards also hit Minot up in North Dakota. They failed there too, but took out two security policemen. All of our guys are gonna live. I thought for sure one would die, but you all are going to make it.”

  “Have you heard anything about what the country is going to do about this? I mean, we’ve been royally attacked! There has to be a military response.”

  “The president is going to address Congress on that very issue tomorrow. Frankly, if he declares war on Russia, our lives may be over. This base is surely on the target list to be hit. If you’re still in here when that happens, I’m gonna be here with you at the end.”

  “You promise?”

  “Wouldn’t have it any other way, my lover.”

  “Well, let’s hope we handle this without going to war. Hell, I’ve even picked out our next base if we can pull that off.”

  “Oh? What base?”

  “How’s Italy sound? Aviano Air Force Base up in the northern part of the country. The Thirty-First Fighter Wing is assigned there and it would be great duty; just be regular old base cops, no nukes, none of this shit. How’s it sound?”

  “I love Italy. The men are as handsome as the women are beautiful. And the food, oh my God, the food! Hell yeah, I’d go for Italy in a heartbeat. I could take weeks just sightseeing in that country. You realize the history contained within the Italian borders?”

  “Okay, I get it! You like the idea of going to Italy together. Okay, well, first I need to heal up from this shoulder wound, and then we have to survive the crazy Russians, and then I can maybe get us transferred to Italy. It wouldn’t be for at least a year anyway, but at least we would know where we were going.”

  “Okay, it’s a deal. I’ll leave it up to you to handle all that.”

  “What medal are you being put in for?”

  “I have no idea. I wasn’t wounded so it won’t be the Purple Heart like you. Why? Is that important?”

  “Well, it could be. If you get a major medal, it gives you some weight t
o request a particular duty station for your overseas tour. The Air Force is very unlikely to deny such a request.”

  “Well, let’s not worry about all that just yet. The most important thing is for you to get well, and for the president not to blow up the world tomorrow. So for now, you need to be sleeping and doing what they tell you to do here.”

  “Well, I do have one cute male nurse who got a look at what I’m packing, and boy did he light up. I suppose I could always get a little action to make me feel better.”

  “I find out you’re doing that, and I’ll make sure I’m here the next time you’re knocked out on morphine or some such shit, and I’ll fix it so your dick never gets hard again!”

  “Okay, okay. How ’bout I just pinch him on the ass?”

  “That’s fine, but anything more and I warned you!”

  The nurse came in and told me I would have to leave. It was time for more shots and Todd would be out very soon. I shook hands with him since I couldn’t give him a kiss. Leaving the room. I shot him a look over my shoulder and we both smiled at each other as the nurse jammed him again with a needle in the butt.

  It was an hour before the next show at the base theater so I headed that way. The cost was only two bucks and the popcorn was cheap. It beat sitting around the barracks wondering if the world was going to end tomorrow. Since I was back on duty the next night, I had to stay up most of tonight so that I could sleep tomorrow. This was the only part I didn’t like about night shift.

  After the movie, I headed back to the barracks as some of my buddies went by in a patrol car yelling obscenities at me for having the night off. I gave them the finger and continued my walk. Would there be another attack somewhere tonight? Had we finally taken out all of the commandos sent to attack Warren Air Force Base? Well, I would be up all night anyway, but I would be in the dayroom watching television. If another attacked happened, I would report to the armory and draw my weapons and assist where needed.

  But there wasn’t another attack and the night passed peacefully. At 0500 hours, I headed over to the chow hall, ate a quick breakfast and headed back to try to get some sleep. I would set my alarm for 1400 hours, when the president was scheduled to address Congress. No matter what he had to say, I would visit Todd after that, and then begin my normal routine. I was to report once again to the newly renovated desk sergeant’s area. We were still on twelve-hour shifts, so I would have to eat, shower, dress, and report for duty. I had some trouble closing my eyes, wondering what the president was going to say.

  Chapter 9

  At a little before 1400 hours, I woke up to my alarm, threw on some pants and a T-shirt, and headed down to the dayroom, which was already full of men. I wedged my way into the room and sat down between two of the overstuffed chairs just as the network news broke in on regularly scheduled programming.

  “This is a CBS News special report: A Presidential address to a joint session of Congress on the recent military action within the borders of the United States.”

  The camera focused on the great seal of the Congress. The mumbling that could be heard from the members was suddenly silenced as the House Sergeant at Arms made the announcement: “Madam Speaker! The President of the United States!”

  Everyone assembled in the chamber rose and applauded as President Windsor walked down the aisle and shook hands with the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, his vice-president. He then turned and faced the audience, who quickly sat down. Everyone knew this was not a normal speech by the president. The room grew quiet as the president prepared to speak.

  “Madam Speaker, Vice-President Wilson, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans: I come before you today with a heavy soul and a profound sense of bewilderment. Over the past seventy-two hours, hostile military action was initiated against the United States by what have been identified as Soviet Commandos who were covertly introduced into the United States across the Mexican border. As many as twenty Soviet commandos attacked Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, twice in two nights, and attempted to sabotage by explosive devices one of our ICBMs, while it rested within its silo. Additionally, Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota was also attacked in an attempt to get to a nuclear weapon. These attacks failed. They failed but at a cost of seven or more airmen who were killed in action defending our national nuclear capabilities. In addition, several more airmen were wounded or injured in action with these hostile forces, along with millions of dollars’ worth of damage to Air Force property.

  “We had intelligence shortly after these men crossed the border that they had entered the United States, but we were unable to track them and unable to prevent the attacks I have mentioned. They came heavily armed, with plans and maps, and knew what their targets were. Interrogation provided their origin and their purpose.

  “When the Soviet Union was asked to explain these attacks, we were told they were rogue commandos and not under the control or direction of the Soviet High Command. We were told that a certain Soviet general by the name of Victor Antonov had gone rogue and was intentionally trying to start a war between the United States and the Soviet Union. We have been told that the Soviet missile base, Pinsk South, is now under the control of General Antonov and his forces. Certain elements of the Soviet Air Force are in league with Antonov, which explains how their commandos were transported around the world to our backyard.

  “The big question about this information is, do we believe them? If we do, is the Soviet Air Force able to cut off the command and control functions of the missiles Antonov now controls? How much danger are the United States and its allies in due to this threat?

  “We have been told that as best they can tell, a total of twenty-four commandos were introduced into the United States with sufficient supplies for a five-day campaign. If this is accurate information, then we have located all but one commando. He is being hunted as we speak.

  “What should our immediate response be to this information from the Soviet Union? How do we protect ourselves from being attacked with nuclear missiles? We have two options open to us. We can demand that the Soviets either retake the Pinsk South missile base or destroy it completely by whatever means necessary. Or, we can launch our own missile targeted to take out that base within a few hours.

  “The Soviets have told us that if we take out that base, then a state of war will exist between our two countries that will in all likelihood involve our nuclear forces. As you know, should there be a general exchange of missiles between us and the Soviets, the world will cease to exist as we now know it. It is predicted that within two years from an all-out nuclear war, the planet will begin to die along with the human and animal population of the world. There is absolutely no chance that mankind will survive such a war.

  “As for those living underground in shelters and bunkers; yes, they will survive. They will also eventually die when their food, air, or water runs out. They only delay their eventual deaths. This is not a picture that is comfortable for anyone hearing it but it is the reality of the situation we find ourselves in. This is a decision that I refuse to make without consulting Congress.

  “Therefore, I ask you here and now for a ‘Sense of Congress Resolution,” that notifies the Soviet Union they have forty-eight hours in which to take control over the base that is now in rebel hands. You are the representatives of the people of the United States and this resolution is an expression of the people you represent. I will leave this chamber while this matter is debated by this legislative body. When you have reached that consensus, I will be in the President’s Room here in the Capitol, awaiting your decision. I will leave the secretary of defense here to answer questions. Remember, time is of the essence.”

  I watched as the president left the podium and walked back up the aisle and exited the chamber. The pandemonium that broke out when he cleared the chamber must have been ear-shattering with everyone shouting at once. The House Sergeant at Arms attempted to restore order with the aid of the majority leaders
from both houses of Congress.

  Everyone in the dayroom started talking at once also. A palpable fear ran through the room as everyone contemplated a nuclear war with the Soviets. Fighting commandos was one thing, but how do you defend yourself from an incoming ICBM? The answer, of course, is that you can’t. We knew that there was a missile defense shield partially deployed, but it had never been tested under combat conditions. No one had much faith in the shield.

  I was worried about Todd lying in bed having just watched this and not being able to get up and do anything. If it was nuclear war, I was going to die with Todd no matter what. The Air Force would not need me if we were going to be obliterated. I intended to keep my promise to the man I loved.

  We all heard the phone ringing in the office of the sergeant in charge of the barracks. Everyone became quiet, trying to determine if it was an action call or a routine call. We didn’t have to wait long.

  “Gentlemen, I just received a phone call from communications notifying us that we are now at Def Con One. You are ordered to report to your duty stations in full uniform and properly armed at once. Let’s go. Move it!”

  I ran in confusion back to my room. If the president had not made any decisions yet, why were we at Def Con One? That condition meant we were at war and getting ready to launch everything we had. That was almost one hundred missiles, each armed with ten warheads. Our base alone would create total destruction inside the Soviet Union or any other country that was targeted by them. This didn’t include all of the other missile bases, the nuclear bombers, or the submarine force that was even now sending target data to their missiles in preparation for launch. And what of the Soviets? Their satellites would be able to tell by our activity at all our bases that we’d gone to the final click on the defense meter.

  Again, my thoughts returned to Todd. Since no decision had been made by the president, I would hold off on going to him. My first obligation was to report to duty. After drawing my sidearm, I reported for guard mount at base police headquarters. Sergeant Gray addressed us in formation.